Nissan's New 2011 Juke Has An Odd Name But It's Not a Joke -
VIDEO ENHANCED

As the automotive world moves inexorably toward smaller and smaller
vehicles to meet environmental and mileage demands, vehicle design will
have a more important role than ever before. With the new 2011 Juke
crossover Nissan has thrown down the gauntlet as a challenge to all
manufacturers: top this if you can! That’s serious business.

I can’t remember when a new, modestly priced car has evoked so
much interest on a media ride and drive. At every stop, and there were
many, during the recent introduction in British Columbia, it generated lots
of unsolicited comments, questions including: “What is it?”
“Great looking car.” “Wow!” “Who makes
it?” “When will it be out?” “Cool, really
cool!” If that’s a good gauge of consumer interest (and it is)
Nissan dealers will be elated as the Juke comes to market next month.

Exterior Design
Design is such a personal reaction or statement, I
seldom comment on it except in arcane car-designer-speak which is difficult
to understand. In this instance however let’s drop pretention and
say, “On first glance this is a sensational looking coupe
crossover!” But wait. That’s incorrect. On closer, up close and
personal examination this is not a coupe crossover, it’s a four door
compact crossover. The rear door handles are deceptively, beautifully
hidden in the B-pillar that evokes feelings of a coupe, which it
isn’t. The front is startling and the back is different. And even
very good photos, like those shown here, cannot, do not do justice to the
looks of the Juke. It’s a you’ve gotta see it vehicle.

Interior Design
Inside the Juke the aggressiveness continues with a
design that is exceptional and signals this is gonna be a fun drive.
There’s a nice combination of colors and materials (four in total)
that please the eye, the touch and the posterior too. The instrument
panel/cluster and center console were inspired by motorcycle fuel tanks are
a finished a really high gloss paint and are certainly a different look.
Shifting is reminiscent of a sportscar. The front driver and passenger
seats are comfortable with adequate leg room, the 60/40 rear seats bench
seats could hold 3 adults with short legs in cramped area. Three different
models of the Juke are available, here are their standard features:

Techno Things
Nissan has added a distinct value added detail in their
Integrated Control (I-CON) system drive mode selector. This feature offers
three different throttle/transmission/steering response settings (more
about this later). I-CON also serves as a central command center and
display module, adopting different display colors and functions depending
on how it is being used. In Climate mode, the display shows the interior
temperature settings while the “buttons” display air flow
preferences. And there’s a lot of other visually interesting
attributes.

Juke Dynamics
It's important to note the 1.6 liter
4-cylinder powerplant gets more power than a 25 liter with better fuel
economy. The mpg of the Juke is an adequate 27 city/32 hwy. Here's a
little animated video to visually detail the features.

Click PLAY to watch video

The Jukes Advanced Torque Vectoring AWD system can split torque tup to
50:50 front and rear and side to side for better handling. Here's
another animated video to illustrate how it works.

Click PLAY to watch video

Here's a summary of the engineering and mechanical attributes of
the front engine, front wheel drive or AWD Juke:

Driving and Handling
Get ready for an exhilarating experience.
The Juke drives just like it looks. It's response is sporty and
responsive. Drove both the FWD with stick and the CVT with AWD and prefer
the latter by a looooong way. There are three driving set-ups to select
from, but suggest the sport setting to take advantage of the torque
vectoring which shifts power to the front and/or back wheels on either
side. And it’s a lot more fun.

Bottom Line
Herein is a quandary. Nissan's product
planners have listed 8, yes that's eight, ocho, huit, acht, otte,
otto …. eight different models, which may confusing. No worries, the
sales person in the Nissan store will steer you to the one that's
best for you and your budget.The prices range from $18,960 to a top price
of $24,550. The price variations are based on type of transmission and trim
levels.

I still think it's an odd name, but the Juke is genuine contender in
the small crossover category.